Here you will find stories and memories that illustrate what a special person Police Officer Domenick Infantes was. If you have a story you’d like to share, you may find the details on how to do so, by dropping by the Contact page.
There’s no bond greater than the one between a Father and a Son. As busy as Dom’s life was he always made the time to spend with his Dad.
Four years ago I met Domenick when his unit was placed under my supervision. An off duty meeting was scheduled with the men for the purposes of finding out what if anything was wrong with the unit and to give the men an opportunity to air complaints and problems. After the first few complaints I began to feel that it might have been a bad idea as officer after officer bombarded me with complaints most of which seemed difficult to address. Then came Domenick who waited until all his brother officers had unloaded and walked up with what I believed would be yet another complaint. I knew nothing about Domenick. All I saw was this big guy with these large hands and tough looking jaw approaching me and I dreaded what he would have to complain about. He walked up and as it was his trademark patted me on the shoulder and said Yo Lieutenant, you are doing good, I speak for the men and I can tell you if you take care of them they will take care of you and then he said If you have any problems or jobs you need to get done (diplomatically), I am your man. In retrospect I can now see what kind of person he was. He was looking out for everyone. Domenick hung with me for the rest of the evening and what he did was to make me feel good about having the meeting and was probably the pivotal person that made me stick with my intentions of making working conditions better for the unit. On many occasions the men in my unit and I marveled at his easy way of getting along with the public and how he was so well liked on the streets and in the projects. He was well known and on more than a few occasions I would arrive at a scene of a call and Domenick would be in the middle of the crowd with the situation well in hand. He was known for being a caring and dedicated officer. He had the knack of knowing what each of us liked and he drew it out. One evening on his beat in Hamilton Park as would happen I took the opportunity to talk to Domenick and his partner Louis Destefano. Domenick apparently noticed that I was having a busy tour and without either of us knowing he went to work doing what he liked best. Bringing a little cheer into everyone’s life. Domenick knew that I liked to talk about National and International events and he got me started with a comment on some event and I took off with what turned out to be a marathon dissertation that had poor Louis Destefano cringing and wishing that I would hurry up and finish talking so that he could go to work. All the while Domenick was listening attentively and smiling leading me to believe that he was interested in what I was saying. He was smiling because he had accomplished his mission. He made me feel good about myself and relieved the tension. That was my last conversation with Domenick. If we all only knew what was coming only a few short weeks later. I believe that there is such a thing as missing Angels and God is always looking for them and only finds them in their moment of crisis. God was looking for Domenick and found him and now he is at his side. His life was taken by two men who if they were in need of help themselves would have been helped by Domenick. It is important that they and only they are ostracized and tried by society because Domenick would not want the innocents to suffer for what they have done. Those two men will face a court of man and when the time comes they will face the court of God and ironically Domenick will be the only Angel who will ask for mercy on their souls. It is then that they will realize what a grievous thing they have done.
Lt. Roberto Atkinson
Jersey City Police DepartmentDomenick and his brother Erik, share the same birth date. In this picture taken at one of their birthday parties, Dom's protective nature and pride in being a big brother are clearly illustrated.
I met Dom a while ago he I think he was just about to start working as a corrections officer for Hudson County. It was around Christmas time. My mother and I were driving home from Newport Mall in Jersey City when we got a flat tire. I didn’t own a cell phone at the time and it was raining. I had my hazard lights on and I stood beside my car waving my arms to attract some help. Though many cars were driving by no one was stopping. We started to worry because the rain started to come down with more fury and there were no cars driving by at all. Finally, a big fellow with a big heart came to our rescue. He asked what was wrong and we told him about our flat. He jumped out of his car and in the rain he changed our tire. We were on our way home in no time. He wouldn’t take any money for his good deed. In fact he left without even leaving us his name. My mother and I never forgot him. I saw him one more time years later, after he was a Police Officer and I introduced myself and he remembered me. During our conversation he was much more forthcoming and he told me his name and a little about himself. He said he stopped to help because he believed in helping people in need and now he was so happy because he got paid to do it. I gave him a big hug and said good bye. I couldn’t wait to get home to tell my mother that I bumped into our knight in shining armor, Domenick Infantes
